Pyongyang Agrees to Reinvestigate Abductions of Japanese

Agreement Could Herald Breakthrough in Ties Between the Two Countries

TOKYO—North Korea has agreed to reopen an investigation into Japanese citizens abducted in the 1970s and '80s to train its spies, in return for Japan lifting its sanctions and opening the possibility of aid, the two countries said Thursday.

The agreement could herald a breakthrough in ties between the two countries, which have never had formal...